This invention relates to an improved bearing assembly for mounting the lower end of a sealed compressor.
Refrigerant compressors, such as are utilized in air conditioning systems, are typically enclosed in a sealed housing. The housing encloses a motor and a compressor pump unit. Sections of the housing surrounding the motor are exposed to the refrigerant at either a suction or discharge pressure. This type of housing has become very widely utilized in refrigerant compression applications.
The housing must be sealed against leakage of the refrigerant between the suction and discharge sections within the housing, and outwardly of the housing. Further, a number of components must be mounted within the housing. Achieving all of these goals has made compressor assembly somewhat complex. Thus, it is a desire of the compressor assembly workers to minimize the assembly steps and time consumed for assembling a compressor.
Typically, a motor drives a shaft which in turn drives components of the pump unit. Oil is circulated within the shaft, and upwardly to the compressor pump unit. Typically, the shaft has been mounted at a lower bearing on an opposed side of the motor from the pump unit. This lower bearing has typically been secured to the housing at the outer periphery of the bearing, and generally to the housing side wall. The sealed compressor housings are typically formed of a cylindrical housing shell having end caps at both ends. The bearing is supported on the shell, and not the end caps. This has caused a good deal of additional assembly complexity, and has increased the time and expense for assembling the compressor units.